Extragalactic Astronomy -
Fall 2012
Homework #2 - due August 29
1. Is M31 (the Andromeda galaxy) within or outside of the zone of
avoidance. You may want to use the Coordinate
Converter
tool available under the Tools tab on the HEASARC web site.
2. A Cepheid has a period of 31 days, a visual (V band) magnitude of
19.4, and a reddening E(V-B) = 0.1. Is the star in the
Milky Way?
3. Which classes of supernovae are thought to be explosions of massive
stars and which are thought to be explosions of white dwarfs?
4. How does the mass in gas in the Milky Way compare with the mass in
stars?
5. How does the metallicity of young stars compare with that of old
stars? Explain.
6. What measurement allows us to identify Sgr A* as the dynamical
center of the Milky Way?
7. Should part of the grade in this class be based on your "quality
of
failure"?